The Prestige
by GuardianSoulBlade
Summary: Summary: The Court of Owls make their move in Jump City, entangling the lives of a stage magician, a rookie cop, a former assassin, and the Teen Titans in a battle for the city. Sacrifice, it's the price of a good trick.


**The Prestige**

_**Summary:** The Court of Owls make their move in Jump City, entangling the lives of a stage magician, a rookie cop, a former assassin, and the Teen Titans in a battle for the city. Sacrifice, it's the price of a good trick.  
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><p><strong>Chapter One: The Pledge<strong>

The underworld called her the Talon; they said that she was dressed in black and brown, covered with knives, and that she hunted criminals, literally like an owl. She always asked anyone involved with the wealthy about the Court of Owls; most people had no idea what it was.

Her nights were usually spent in search of the criminal cabal, but not tonight.

Mary Grayson walked quickly through the busy streets of Jump City; her eyes darted back and forth quickly, heading down to her spot in "Performers Row" a block of Jump City where the street performers gathered, each trying to outdo the other for cash from the audience. Long before she'd become an acrobat, she'd been Haly Circus's magician.

She held up a small bird cage, Mary noted the red headed girl staring at her with interest.

"Every great magic trick consists of three parts or acts. The first part is called "The Pledge". The magician shows you something ordinary: a deck of cards, a bird or a man. He shows you this object. Perhaps he asks you to inspect it to see if it is indeed real, unaltered, normal. But of course...it probably isn't."

Mary showed the audience the bird cage, a red robin inside it. She draped a red cloth over it, suddenly smashed the cage down, causing the audience to gasp in shocked surprise. She removed the cloth revealing nothing was there.

The second act is called "The Turn". The magician takes the ordinary something and makes it do something extraordinary. Now you're looking for the secret... but you won't find it, because of course you're not really looking. You don't really want to know. You want to be fooled. But you wouldn't clap yet. Because making something disappear isn't enough; you have to bring it back."

Mary gestured to where the cage had been.

"That's why every magic trick has a third act, the hardest part, the part we call "The Prestige".

She showed them her hands, revealing the robin that had been in the cage.

The audience cheered and clapped, they gave her their small change, she smiled gratefully at them.

Starfire lingered behind, watching the woman fiddle with a coin.

"Are you watching closely?" Mary asked, making the coin vanish and reappear.

She showed Starfire how the trick worked and she smiled, in awe of how simple the trick actually was.

"The secret impresses no one. The trick you use it for is everything. Never show anyone. They'll beg you and they'll flatter you for the secret, but as soon as you give it up...you'll be nothing to them."

Starfire smiled, she knew something about secrets and keeping them. She handed Mary five dollars and Grayson gathered up her things and walked away, vanishing into the darkness, Mary had something important to do, and it was time she got to it.

She headed downtown to Caldlow and Borden Street, Mary knew the Court of Owls was planning to assassinate a target, one who had nothing to do with their plans, but she knew why they were going to kill Sara Blake, a small time stage magician who had moved to Jump City wither husband Robert, their son John had just graduated high school and was enrolled in Jump City's police academy.

Mary landed on the roof of a building across from an apartment complex and waited.

It'd been a busy day for Sara Blake, she'd been preparing for her return to the stage, she'd been in a slump for awhile, but now she'd gotten her second wind, it was time to put on a show Jump City wouldn't forget, to bring in the crowds and keep her lights on, her husband was a security guard at the power plant, no easy job there, especially since the resident supervillains kept breaking in and knocking him out.

Sara closed the door behind her, heading out to get some groceries. Suddenly, four armed, masked men appeared in front of her brandishing sharp knives.

"What do you want?" Sara asked fearfully.

"Mary Grayson, you thought you could hide from us, you can change your name and get remarried, but you've failed, the Court will always find you, and the Court of Owls has sentenced you to die!"

"I don't even know who that is!" she screamed, panicked.

A figure dressed in similar apparel to her attackers dropped down from the roof of another building and attacked them.

Mary attacked the Talons, She snap kicked one of them, breaking their shins, but she knew that wouldn't slow them down; she removed a dozen throwing knives and embedded them in their skulls.

Mary easily avoided a series of blows as she somersaulted over them, she slashed at them with her sword, she quickly elbowed one across the face as she removed an ice pellet from her utility belt and threw it at them, they scattered as she stabbed her nearest attacker through the head.

Mary scrambled over to the nearest fire hydrant and ripped off the covering, spraying them with water, she threw half a dozen ice pellets at them, freezing them where they stood.

"What are they?" Sara asked, reaching out to touch the ice.

"Don't touch them!" the voice hissed. Sara was surprised; the voice was that of a woman. Sara pulled her hand back.

"Why would they attack me?" Sara asked, the masked figure seemed apologetic.

"Because they thought you were someone else, that's why," her rescuer glanced over at her.

"What's your name?" Sara prodded; the least she could do was thank her rescuer.

"Call me Talon, that's what the Court of Owls calls all their soldiers."

Talon ushered her to a car, "Get in, we need to talk somewhere private away from here. I'll take you to wherever you need to go, but I will tell you why they attacked you, but once you know the truth, your life will never be the same again."

"My life is as ordinary as it gets," Sara smiled, "Nothing could surprise me."

Talon drove her out to a burger joint, Sara recognized it; she knew the Teen Titans sometimes ate there. Talon led her to a park a short distance away from the restaurant.

"Life can surprise you sometimes, and I think you'll understand once I tell you who I am," Talon removed the mask from her face.

Sara looked at her rescuer in awe, this just wasn't possible.

"I'm going to explain everything to you, and then you'll have to make a decision about what you're going to do."

Sara nodded, her rescuer was right; her life was no longer going to be an ordinary one.

* * *

><p>Robin saw Starfire flying towards him, "Starfire, enjoy the mall?"<p>

"I did not buy anything at the mall of shopping, but I did enjoy myself today," Starfire smiled.

"Want to go get some coffee?" Robin offered. Nothing was really happening in terms of crime-fighting so he decided he should make it a date.

They headed to the coffee shop, each ordering their favorite blend of coffee, suddenly; Starfire saw a tanker truck flying through the road.

"Starfire! Stop the truck!" Robin ordered, his girlfriend flew quickly, managing to the trucker before it hit the ground and exploded, she gently set it down at the side of the road.

"Titans, Plasmas as escaped, met Starfire and I at the coffee shop!" Robin ordered.

The Titans soon arrived as Robin launched a flurry of Birdarangs and they slammed into Plasmas, the creature roared in anger, screaming at them in rage.

"Sorry Plasmas, but you're going back to jail!" Robin told him.

"I got him!" Cyborg exclaimed. He fired his sonic cannon, the shots connected but Plasmas just inhaled again; closing the hole he had created.

"Azarath, Metrion Zinthos!" Raven commanded her powers to surround Plasmus, but the creature avoided them.

Beast Boy turned into a rhino and slammed his horn into the creature, forcing it back. Starfire unleashed a hailstorm of Starbolts, keeping him off balance, Robin unleashed a dozen freeze disks, they connected but he wasn't held completely in place.

"Azarath, Metron, Zinthos!" Raven once again chanted sending her soul self into him, Otto Von Furth returned to his human form once more, slumping to the ground, unconscious and asleep.

The police arrived with a special containment unit for Plasmas, Robin struck up a conversation with a young man about his age, he looked rather surprised at everything.

"You're new here right?" Robin asked.

"Yes I am," he replied.

"Thank you officer—" Robin began to thank the man.

"John, John Blake," the young man replied. "Just graduated the police academy, first day on the job."

A voice called for any officers in the area to move to a different location. John Blake picked it up.

"I just got dispatched to…my mother's apartment complex?!" Officer Blake exclaimed in shock. There's some frozen…creatures there, said they were in costumes?!"

"Frozen creatures in costumes, huh?" Robin asked, "We'll come with you and look into it."

They followed Officer Blake to the apartment; Robin stared in surprise at the various throwing knives and weapons strewn about. The police had already cordoned off the crime scene.

"What are they Robin, do you know?" Blake asked.

"No, I don't, I've never seen anyone dressed up like this, he noted the knives and weapons, they were definitely assassins.

"if they're frozen, they should stay that way, someone froze them for a reason."

"You sure you've never seen anything like this?" he asked.

"No, but there's something, but it's just an old wives tale, there's no proof that they were real."

"Who were real?" Cyborg asked.

"The Court of Owls, they're a children's nursery rhyme from Gotham City, nothing more."

"I'll take them to the prison, we'll keep them frozen," Blake suggested.

"Yes, tell them I want you to do that," Robin replied. I'm definitely looking into it, even if the Court of Owls turns up nothing. Please call us if you need anything."

"I will, and thank you for coming," Officer Blake watched as others loaded the frozen bodies into the transport.

"So what are we gonna do tonight?" Beast Boy asked.

"I think a night on the town is something we deserve!" Cyborg agreed with his green friend.

"I have five tickets to my mother's magic show," Officer Blake smiled.

"Magic, like stupid Amazing Mumbo crap?" Beast Boy groaned.

"No, Beast Boy, my mother is a genuine illusionist and she told me she has a new trick, one I've never seen her perform before. You all should come, you'd enjoy it."

"Of course we'll come officer, and thank you for the tickets," Robin smiled, shaking his hand.

"Any time Robin," Officer Blake smiled appreciatively and left.

Beast Boy scowled. "This is gonna be lame."

"I've heard of Sara Blake, she can't do real magic like Zatanna, but she puts on a good show, don't they call her the "sleight of hand mistress". I also heard she quit for awhile."

"I have seen many street magicians perform, she is better than they are?"

"I'm sure she is if people pay to see her, did you see the ticket price?" Cyborg asked.

"That's a lot of money for five people," Raven noted. "Magic tricks have never been my thing. And the last magic show we went to we were unfortunately a part of."

"I know Raven, but this is a free show for us," Robin smiled.

They made their way to the performing arts hall, and took their seats; various people smiled and shook their hands as they sat down.

They watched as Sara came on stage. "Good evening ladies and gentleman of Jump City, I am the Sleight of Hand Mistress", but tonight, you'll see some real magic!"

The audience cheered, clapped. She went through various tricks, some Robin recognized, some were new. Raven wasn't bored but she was paying attention.

Beast Boy was trying to figure out how it worked but he was giving himself a headache.

Starfire was enthralled and Cyborg was trying to guess how they worked, but more often than not, he tried to get pulled up on stage.

"And now my final trick tonight, I'll ask for one volunteer," Sara smiled. She looked straight at Robin.

"Is that Robin, the Boy Wonder? Please come up, I need your help with something!" Sara invited him warmly.

"Well—uh—I—" Robin stammered, taken by surprise since Cyborg had been trying to volunteer himself all evening.

"You don't have stage fright do you?" Sara asked, grinning, "You're looking at me funny, do I look like your mother?"

The ground laughed and Robin chuckled.

"I want you to inspect this." Robin did so and returned it to her.

"Just a rubber ball yes? Just a rubber ball. No. Not normal. Not a normal rubber ball. It's magic." Sara tossed the ball up and down. She walked over to a set of doors, showing the audience the inside with a wall on both doors. She then walked over to the left door and stepped inside. She threw the ball and it bounced across the stage floor. Robin saw the door on the right side pop open and the crowd gasped in amazement as she caught the ball and stepped out, bowing grandly to the crowd.

"Thank you! Thank you ladies and gentlemen, I shall be here for an entire week, and a special thank you to Robin and the Teen Titans, our protectors who have graced us with their presence tonight!"

The crowd roared in approval, they were in awe.

"Dude, that was…" Beast Boy gawked.

"Astounding!" Starfire exclaimed.

"That was good," Raven commented.

Robin clapped his hands in approval, smiling in appreciation of the performance.

Tonight had been good and he was looking forward to tomorrow.


End file.
